Emergency dispatcher saves own father’s life on her first day

As an emergency dispatcher you’re trained to deal with every kind of call.

But when Crystal Morrow received a call from a family member on her first day as a 911 operator in DeKalb County in the US, it was the ultimate test of her skills.

She was only four hours into her first shift, and had already dealt with calls regarding a burglary and a house fire.

Then came a call from a familiar voice. Her aunt had called 911 after Crystal’s father had gone into diabetic shock.

Despite the initial shock Crystal managed to stay amazingly calm and talk her aunt – who had no idea it was her niece on the other end of the line – through what to do.

Her boss Danielle Harvey praised Crystal’s performance in the unusual circumstances: ‘She handled it well. She took the entire call. She got up after it was over and went out. So I checked on her and told her to go see about her family.’

Crystal meanwhile credited Ms Harvey’s thorough training for preparing her for just such a call: ‘Without her I probably wouldn’t have made it through training. She made sure I got everything. She’s very detailed and she wouldn’t let me sink, so I’m very thankful.’